Trouble
by raaaaaaek
Summary: Unable to cope with her son's choice to join the Death Eaters, Narcissa turns to her sister with hope that she can help. Written for the Coldplay Challenge at Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges. The title is the song that was used.


The door slammed violently and the various ancient framed pictures on the walls fell to the floor. Shattered glass crunched underneath her shoes as she walked to the bed and threw herself upon it. The maniacal look that seemed to set her black eyes on fire had long left since her arrival at Malfoy Manor upon completion of the task the Dark Lord had sent Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback to do at the Weasley household. Now, her dark orbs, heavily bagged underneath, left her looking tired. Aged.

She had been fighting with Narcissa again. Despite her rough, crazed exterior, there was still a hint of true compassion deep beneath the surface. Care for the only person that had ever shown her what loyalty and love truly was in all her life. And now she was torn. Torn in two between the being she had devoted most of her years to and the person that stood by her side through it all. It was a difficult choice to make. The choice between what was right and what was easy. She was caught in the middle of a spiderweb she had helped to create.

There was nowhere to run and hide. No way to get away from the darkness, the fighting, not even for a little bit. She had successfully stayed in her own little bubble where everything was alright and going her way, but it could only last for so long until her problems came back with a vengeance to stare her in the eyes once more. No matter what she chose, she would end up dead. Betraying the Dark Lord's wishes would surely land her in the last meeting she would ever have with him. To turn away from her own sister would bring Narcissa to her breaking point and cause her to lose the last human being in her life that she could tolerate. The last person that still held what was left of her heart. Her soul would shatter into a million tiny pieces unable to be repaired, leaving an empty shell with no purpose left but to be a loyal little servant until the end of her days. Even Bellatrix knew there was no life to live without even the smallest shred of love.

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Narcissa walked down the long, dark hallway to the room her sister had been staying in ever since Lucius was carted off to Azkaban. The slightest thought of it caused a sting of pain in the pit of her stomach. One by one, she was slowly losing the people she cared for. It was one thing to have her sister and husband among Lord Voldemort's ranks. But it was going much too far. She had lost her husband already. Her sister was in a crazed delusion that Lord Voldemort actually felt love, or any sort of passion for that matter, towards her and was now unsure if she could consider Bellatrix a true sister anymore. And now her son. Draco. He had taken the steps to becoming a Death Eater under the example of his father and the relentless urging from his aunt. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't bear to lose him too.

Narcissa reached Bellatrix's room and knocked softly upon the bedroom door.

"Come in," a cold and tired voice called from inside.

She entered and quietly shut the door behind her. When she turned around she found Bellatrix sitting on the edge of the bed. She didn't look furious or threatening as she had during their encounter earlier. Now, she looked worn down. The sight instantly saddened Narcissa to no avail. The Dark Lord was slowly exhausting her family members as she stood by, a helpless on-looker, taking it all in but able to do naught.

"Bella... you must help him," she immediately began pleading, picking up from where they had left off from before.

"Cissy, I –" Bellatrix began, but stopped at a loss of what to say.

Narcissa noted something different, but not entirely foreign in her sister's demeanor. She was not standing before Bellatrix Lestrange, notorious murderer and Death Eater. This was Bella. Her sister. Once extremely sweet and caring, she had since lost most of her soft characteristics but there were moments like these when her fearsome facade faltered and Bellatrix became exposed – this was the sister she loved. This was the one she was afraid of losing. To him.

"Bella, please. He's just a boy. Draco... he's still so young," she begged, rushing towards the bed. Her knees hit the floor and she grabbed onto the fabric of Bellatrix's dress desperately. She looked up at her big sister and the emotions claimed free reign. Tears crept out of the corners of her eyes and began to fall down her cheeks.

"Can't you see what he's already done to this family and what he will continue to do until we're all beaten down? Or even worse? He's taken away my husband, is slowly corrupting my only son and has completely consumed you!" Narcissa choked. "I can't take it anymore. I won't. Constantly fearing that you will be killed, and now Draco too? Haven't you ever once stopped to consider me? How I feel? It's killing me, Bella. I can't go on like this for much longer. Please. Please help him, I beg of you."

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Narcissa's sudden breakdown hit Bellatrix hard in a place that no other could reach. The sight of her wearied sister kneeling before her in tears was enough to break anyone's heart – especially her's. And she knew that she was to blame for some of the chaos that was ensuing in Narcissa's head. She had been one of the prominent causes as of late. And she couldn't ignore the pang of guilt that had risen.

"Cissy," she whispered, her voice soft and comforting. She had never thought it would come to this. She never meant for any of it to happen, not this way. "I'm sorry," she spat out before the words had even registered in her mind. She reached out and cupped Narcissa's face, wet from crying. This. This happening right before her was suddenly making it all so real. How much she had risked already and all she had recently put up to lose was flashing before her eyes – all she put in danger when most of it wasn't even her's to risk. The most important was kneeling on the floor in front of her, breaking down and showing just how deeply she was suffering right before her eyes. It never occurred to her until now that the person to be hurt the most by this and the one with the most to lose was the most innocent of them all. The one that had done nothing. Nothing but love.

_I never meant to cause you trouble  
I never meant to do you wrong  
And ah, well if I ever caused you trouble  
Oh, no, I never meant to do you harm_


End file.
